Stock Market & Financial Investment News

Zanoli steps down as head of U.S. tech investment banking at UBS, Fortune saysMark Zanoli, the head of U.S. technology investment banking at UBS (UBS), has stepped down, Fortune reports. Zanoli joined UBS in July 2010. Reference Link

Banks pitch total-return swaps as stock purchase alternative, WSJ reportsBanks have been pitching certain hedge fund clients on using derivatives instead of actual stocks when placing certain bets in an effort to lessen the impact of new capital rules on the banks' businesses, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the efforts. The shift involves derivatives known as total-return swaps that mirror the effects of owning a stock or other asset, the report says. Units of Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), and UBS (UBS) are among the banks asking clients to shift trades into total-return swaps instead of underlying securities, the report says. Reference Link

UBS says U.S.-based brokerage business not for sale, Reuters reportsUBS CEO Sergio Ermotti told analysts following the company's Q2 results that its U.S-based brokerage business, which posted a 6% decline in Q2 profit before tax, is not up for sale, Reuters reports. UBS formed the unit when it bought PaineWebber in 2000, and Ermotti says the unit is "critical" to the bank's overall private banking strategy. Reference Link

UBS steps back from Puerto Rico bond funds, Reuters reportsUBS is backing away from its Puerto Rico bond funds, telling clients that they can no longer use them as collateral for some loans after Puerto Rico's financial troubles resulted in major credit agency downgrades, Reuters reports, citing a July 13 letter to clients. UBS' Puerto Rico unit said it will contact investors to discuss alternative options, the report says. Reference Link